Josiah Coatney Signs With Pittsburgh as a UDFA

Former Ole Miss defensive lineman Josiah Coatney is officially a Steeler.

He didn't get drafted, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed him as an undrafted free agent.

In three seasons at Ole Miss, Coatney started 35 of 36 possible games, playing both a 4-3 defensive tackle and a 3-4 defensive end role. He even played a bit of nose tackle in 2019.

His most productive year came prior to the Ole Miss switch to a 3-4. In 2017, playing a full-time 4-3 defensive end role, Coatney totaled 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss.

First up, DL @Brad_SonOfBrady

• Started 35 of the 36 career games he played in
• 174 career tackles
• 15.5 career TFL#HottyToddy 🔵🔴 #NFLRebels pic.twitter.com/lkJfmDxdaf
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 14, 2020

How does Coatney fit in on the Pittsburgh roster?

The Steelers made six picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, two of which being defensive lineman.

Pittsburgh plays a 3-4 defense, similar to what Ole Miss ran in the 2019 season. Unfortunately for Coatney, the Steelers field one of the deepest front-sevens in the league, and they drafted two others in front of Coatney to add to that depth.

It'll be an uphill climb for Coatney to make the Pittsburgh roster, but he's landed with one of the best organizations in the National Football League.

What were NFL evaluators saying about him going into the draft?

Lance Zierlein (NFL.com): "Three-year starter who plays with good awareness and motor. Coatney will lose the initial phases of block engagement, but does a nice job of using his hands and athletic ability to right the ship and get back into the play. Against NFL competition, however, his lack of body control could limit his effectiveness. He lacks two-gap consistency at the point of attack and may not have the traits for upfield disruptions."

Kyle Crabbs (The Draft Network): "Josiah Coatney is a bit of a "tweener" up front, which makes for a difficult projection to the NFL level. Coatney doesn't have great athletic ability and also struggles to win at the point of first contact, which makes him a developmental prospect who is going to need the light bulb to turn on in order for him to find consistent wins at any position in the pros. He's probably best off working as an odd front defensive end if he's going to make an active NFL roster."

What did his combine measurables look like?

Height: 6'3" (39th percentile)
Weight: 308 lbs (80th percentile)
Arm length: 32 3/4" (26th percentile)
Hand size: 10" (57th percentile)
40-yard dash: 5.21 seconds (12th percentile)
Vertical jump: 27" (12th percentile)
Broad jump: 99" (6th percentile)
3-cone drill: 8.07 seconds (3rd percentile)
20-yard shuttle: 4.28 seconds (9th percentile)
Bench Press: 22 reps (27th percentile)

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